Beth nodded. She gathered her long skirt around her and sat next to him.

  “When Goran the Vengeful named me captain, Lonar the Beast was there. Kinna the Mage was also a witness, and two grunts who were tending to him. He died of old age, and that’s unnatural for an orc. Especially for an orc captain. It’s almost... shameful. To live so long, to not die with honor in battle, to not have seen a battle in years! He was in pain, though it wasn’t physical. I could tell... he was disappointed. But when he uttered my name and asked me to continue his legacy and lead the horde, I said yes. And those who witnessed it nodded their agreement. And Goran died in peace. In peace! Almost a disgrace. But these are strange times we live in.”

  It wasn’t easy for Beth to wrap her head around what he was saying. How to die in peace was a disgrace, how to die of old age was shameful... She had to do some serious mental gymnastics to empathize with him.

  He shot her a sideways glance, and she nodded encouragingly.

  “They accepted me as their new captain. Life went back to normal, and I talked to Kinna about changing my tattoos. And then he showed up. Morok the Unhinged. The son. The rank of horde captain can’t be inherited, either. In truth, he has no more claim to leadership than I do. Morok was once a raider serving under his father. Back in our world. Then we were swept through the portal, brought here, and the war started. After the war, the relationship between father and son soured. Goran embraced the new world order, started having progressive ideas. He took a human bride.”

  Beth’s ears perked at that. If the late captain had had a human bride, then where was she? Was she still around?

  “Morok disagreed with his choices. He took an orc bride, Hula the Relentless, and abandoned his father and the horde. We all heard about him after. Rumors. He traveled with his mate and found other orcs. Orcs who’d lost their hordes and their loved ones in the war, who had no purpose left in life. Most of them were against the peace. Some would call them rogues. Morok gathered them around him until he built his own horde. He stayed away, and Goran stopped mentioning him. When anyone asked, he said that he didn’t have a son. And later, he changed his answer to, ‘Uthar is my son.’” He smiled. “I served him as best as I could. I never wanted or expected anything from him. He was my captain, and that’s what you do as a grunt or as a raider. You serve your captain.”

  Beth sighed. She could see how emotional the story had made him.

  “You’re the captain now,” she said when the silence stretched between them, a little too uncomfortable.

  He shrugged. “Morok is back. He came as soon as he found out about his father’s death. And he wants the horde for himself. He says he has a right.”

  “And what do the others say? Lonar, Kinna...”

  “They’re on my side. Lonar is my friend, and Kinna...”

  He didn’t finish the sentence, but Beth knew what would’ve followed. Kinna the Mage was in love with him. Since she was here, sitting on the couch with Uthar, basically a stranger listening to the story of his life, she knew that he did not return her feelings.

  “But I have to prove myself.” He straightened his back and looked her right in the eyes. “Morok can’t have children. And that is a weakness. It’s unacceptable for an orc captain to not be able to fill a woman’s belly with babies. His seed is weak, and he cannot be respected.”

  “Maybe it’s not him. Maybe it’s... umm... Hula is her name?”

  Uthar shook his head. “There are rumors he tried with other females, too.”

  “Oh, that’s horrible.”

  “No. In our world, we are allowed to mate with whoever we want. Another tradition that is dying, since there are so few females that are available.”

  Beth blushed. That sounded... interesting. Not that she was a fan of the idea.

  “And Hula doesn’t mind?”

  “No. Or she shouldn’t. She is still his mate, still the one he turns back to.”

  She bit the inside of her cheek. He talked about it like it was so natural, even desirable. Did he, too, want to be with other women? Maybe there was something between him and Kinna, and that was why Kinna regarded her as a rival. She had so many questions, but she didn’t feel this was the right time to ask them.

  “If I prove my virility, that’s one big step toward winning this battle. My orcs will respect me. They will love me and fully accept me as their captain. This horde hasn’t seen baby orclings in years!” He held her gaze. “If we can give them that... If you can give them that, they will worship you, Beth. And they will never question me.”

  “Wow.” She leaned back, feeling the need to put some distance between them. “That’s... a lot.” Intense. Intense was the right word. The atmosphere felt heavy again. “I don’t know what to say...”

  A crease appeared between his thick, dark eyebrows. “You don’t have to say anything. You will do it. Carry my baby. It’s your purpose.”

  “Wow!” She jumped to her feet and considered putting another piece of furniture between them. “That doesn’t sound great, you know. It’s not exactly what a woman wants to hear from... umm... her man. Even when that woman is a tribute and very much open to the idea of having babies.”

  He stood up as well. “Then what is the problem? You’re contradicting yourself.”

  “It’s too soon, too fast. I’m not ready. I don’t even know you! And you don’t know me. You can’t treat me like a piece of meat, okay? I have feelings. And I’m open to... this.” She motioned between the two of them. “To us. But we should take things slow. I... I want to get to know you first. If you’re going to be the father of my children, then it’s only fair, don’t you think?”

  She felt like she was trying to impose her human values on someone whose culture was about anything but taking things slow and being reasonable. She knew it wasn’t working before he even opened his mouth to protest.

  “There’s no time!” he said. He took a step toward her. “I promised them I will put a baby in you before the full moon.”

  “Well, I don’t know when the next full moon is, but I’m sure it’s too soon.”

  He took another step toward her.

  “You should’ve consulted me first, at least. Before making such promises...”

  “You are my bride. You are the female I chose as my mate. You will do as I say.”

  He took hold of her wrist, and she yelped and tried to free herself. He was not impressed by her struggles. He pulled her toward him, and she crashed against his chest. He was so big and ripped that it felt to Beth like she’d crashed into a boulder.

  “Let go! This is not how it works,” she yelled. “This isn’t the way, Uthar!”

  “That’s for me to decide.”

  With his other hand, he grabbed her by the waist and easily lifted her. She started kicking him, but she couldn’t have inflicted any sort of pain if she wanted to. He was hard and tense all over. The most she could achieve was to annoy him.

  “Put me down! Put me down right now!”

  He started walking toward the stairs.

  “Uthar!”

  When he started climbing the stairs, she settled down because she was afraid her kicking and screaming might unbalance him and cause them both to fall. But when he reached the landing, she was right back at it.

  She could see the door to their bedroom. She panicked and tried to bite him, but he easily dodged it. She was tired already, and underneath her dress, her skin was clammy with sweat.

  The last thing she could do... The last trick up her sleeve... Was to cry.

  Tears spilled out of her eyes, and she didn’t try to cry prettily or endearingly. She let a full-on ugly cry take over, until he stopped right in front of the bedroom door and put her back down on her feet.

  “Beth,” he whispered. “Beth...” He smoothed down her hair, then cupped her face with his big, rough hands. “I’m sorry. Please forgive me. Don’t cry... If you don’t want to do it, we won’t do it.”

  She opened her eyes and sniffed loudly. She had the instinct to step back and put distance between them, but she didn’t think it would help, so she fought it. He was apologizing, after all, so maybe he deserved a second chance.

  “Beth.” He drew her in his arms, this time gently and carefully.

  She sobbed against his chest, her ear pressed right beneath his sternum. The fabric of his shirt was soft and smelled like soap.

  “We’ll do it your way,” he conceded. “Whatever you wish, Beth. I don’t want to hurt you. I don’t want to see you cry.”

  Her glasses were starting to fog up, and she needed a tissue.

  “Okay. Thank you.”

  “Will you stop crying now?”

  She rolled her eyes. God, was he impatient!

  “I’ll stop crying.”

  He let go of her, and she wiped her eyes as best as she could.

  “If you want, we can sleep in different rooms.”

  She sighed and looked up at him, hoping her face wasn’t the mess she felt it was. She would’ve liked to sleep separately tonight. Since it was her first night here. But then again... the whole point was to seduce the captain, so then the captain would... Long story short, they had started on the wrong foot, and it was up to her to redirect the course of their relationship.

  “No, that’s okay. If you promise to behave, I’d love to share the bed with you tonight.”

  His cheeks darkened, and Beth realized it was... a blush. That put a genuine smile on her lips.

  Chapter Five

  A sense of confusion and misplacement rose inside her even before she opened her eyes. Unfamiliar territory... She didn’t recognize the smell of the room, the sounds coming from the street, the bed she lay in. And the one sleeping next to her... She snapped her eyes open and looked around. It took her a minute to calm down and remember where she was. The one sleeping next to her... not a man. Not a one-night stand. An orc.

  She let her head fall to the side, and her long, red hair covered half of her face. Between the messy tresses, she saw his chest rise and fall. He was shirtless, and he had one bulky arm draped over his middle.

  Beth relaxed and stared back at the ceiling. The room was dark, the sun was not yet up.

  They’d shared the bed, after all. He hadn’t touched her, and she hadn’t sought his warmth. It would’ve been weird, especially after the fight they’d had. He had respected her boundaries, and for that, Beth was grateful.

  She drifted back to sleep and had a weird dream about her sister and birds. Abby was chasing them through the forest. Beth smiled in her sleep. She felt the mattress dip and heard the bed creak, and she wondered where the forest and her sister had disappeared. She opened her eyes and saw Uthar getting dressed at the foot of the bed. She sat up and looked at his broad back.

  “Good morning,” she said.

  He turned to her and nodded. He seemed upset.

  Beth bit the inside of her cheek.

  “I slept well,” she said. “You?”

  “I slept in a corner of the bed,” he said gruffly.

  Okay, so not that well. Had she allowed him to touch her during the night, maybe he would’ve been in a sunnier mood today. But she couldn’t blame herself for how he felt. She’d only asked for what she needed – time and space. Not even that much! He’d rushed her the night before, so if anything, his foul mood was on him.

  “I’m going hunting. I’ll be back later.”

  Beth looked out the window and saw the subtlest rays of light breaking over the horizon. It was early.

  “Can I go out today?” she asked.

  “Yes. My orcs know who you are now. They’ve welcomed you.”

  She wondered if she should tell him she hadn’t felt welcomed at all the night before.

  “If you need anything, ask anyone, and they will help you.”

  “Okay.”

  Maybe it was better to not add to his sour mood, so she kept her doubts and fears to herself.

  Uthar finished dressing, put on his boots, and stalked out of the room.

  Beth listened as he rushed down the stairs, then heard the front door close. She let out a sigh and moved to the center of the bed, so she could get another hour of sleep in, in a more comfortable position. His pillow smelled like him. The same soapy smell she’d detected on his clothes. She rather liked it. Orcs were very clean creatures. She’d learned about how obsessed they were with hygiene, and now that she was living with an actual horde, she’d seen it firsthand. That was one thing she liked about them. She could only hope there would be more.

  Around eight, she got up, took a shower, got dressed, and started putting the house in order. She finally managed to check all the appliances in the kitchen, and they indeed worked. They hadn’t been used in years, though, and there were no tablets for the dishwasher, and no detergent for the washing machine. She wondered how Uthar washed his clothes... The day before, she’d been impressed to discover they didn’t only had electricity, but also hot water. Now, as she moved around the house, inspecting it curiously, she wondered who was paying for all of it. Probably no one, and the electrical and gas companies hadn’t dared to cut the town off, thinking it was better to just keep the orcs happy.

  She couldn’t stay inside all day. She gathered her courage and stepped out onto the porch, then in the wide driveway. She looked around. A krag was grazing lazily nearby. There were a few orcs on the street, going about their business, one talking loudly in orc language, and two carrying huge logs on their shoulders. Beth knew orcs loved to work in wood. The furniture in Uthar’s house was proof.

  She decided to take a stroll down the street. Orcs noticed her but didn’t stop her or talked to her. They merely threw her curious glances, then proceeded to go back to their things and ignore her. Beth had no clue what she was doing. Where she was going. She just kept walking, looking at the houses that were occupied, and at the buildings that were still abandoned.

  “Elizabeth!”

  She sighed at the sound of her full name. A gruff male voice had interrupted her stroll, and she turned around to see the raider, Lonar the Beast, wave at her from one of the porches. He came down to meet her, and she patiently waited in the middle of the sidewalk. She tried to put a smile on her face, even though the massive orc scared her. He approached, and when he smiled back, he looked even uglier. His other teeth were broken, too.

  “Good morning, Lonar!”

  “Good morning!”

  “I thought you’d be gone hunting with Uthar,” she said, trying to make conversation.

  He shook his head. “Not today. He said he wanted to be alone. To clear his head. But I wouldn’t worry about him. He’s the best hunter there is. And our captain.” He added that last bit as an afterthought.

  “Clear his head...” Because of her, of course. They had really started on the wrong foot.

  “What are you doing, Elizabeth?”

  “Please call me Beth.”

  “Beth.”

  “I just thought I’d go for a walk. See the town.”

  “I can show you around.”

  Beth was surprised at how relieved his offer made her feel. As scary as he was, Lonar seemed to be... a decent guy. Decent orc. She accepted, and they walked side by side as he started telling her who lived where. Beth recognized some of the names from the night before, but it was hard to put faces to them. Until they stopped in front of a house, and the raider said the name Kinna the Mage.

  Beth froze in place. She stared at the façade, admiring its bright colors. When Lonar made to walk away, she struggled to find a reason to stay a while longer. A reason to knock on Kinna’s door. Maybe get herself invited inside.

  “I have a headache.”

  “Oh?”

  “My head...” She touched her fingers to her temple. “I woke up with it. Do you think Kinna could help?”

  “Of course. Let’s go ask.”

  “Oh, thank you. You’re too kind, Lonar. I can go ask her myself. I don’t want to waste more of your time.”

  He was silent for a moment, then nodded. Beth couldn’t tell if he saw right through her and now he was offended, or if he was simply respecting her wish because she was his captain’s bride, and Uthar had told all of them to treat her like they treated him.

  “I’ll be around if you need anything, Beth.”

  “Thank you.”

  She waited for him to disappear down the street, then went up to the house and knocked. Kinna answered the door in less than a minute.

  “It’s you,” she said coldly. “What do you want?”

  She looked almost regal in her long robes, with the thick necklace around her neck, and her black hair spread over her shoulders and back. Her tusks were thinner than a male’s tusks, and her face was oval and pleasant. Beth thought that she was beautiful.

  “I have a headache. Lonar the Beast said you can help...?”

  Kinna took a step back, crossed her arms over her chest, and looked her up and down.

  Beth swallowed heavily, wondering if the mage could tell she was lying. She didn’t have a headache, but she was stressed, and she hadn’t slept well. That counted, right?

  “I’ll give you something,” the mage finally said. “Wait here.”

  Beth was disappointed that she wasn’t invited inside. She would’ve loved to see Kinna’s place, maybe learn a thing or two about her. She’d started on the wrong foot with the orc captain, and now she was doing the same with the mage who was supposed to help her sister. No one liked her here. Except Lonar the Beast, maybe.

  Kinna returned with a small glass vial.

  “Take a drop of this whenever your head hurts. Don’t come to me about this again. This will last you a few weeks. If you don’t get headaches three times a day, that is.”